Team Growth

Aberdeen recruitment agency TMM Recruitment has grown its team by a third to meet rising demand from clients and jobseekers.

A total of nine employees, five hired in the last six months, takes its headcount to 32, with new hires specialising in areas including accountancy and finance, supply chain, office support, QHSE, IT, and HR recruitment, as well as additions to TMM Recruitment's own administration team.

Recruiters are very much in demand right now, playing a key role in helping employers navigate business and hiring challenges.

Chief executive Amanda McCulloch said the expansion was part of the company's strategic plan for growth, particularly in the highly technical disciplines of IT and engineering, while allowing TMM Recruitment to meet particular recruitment demands emerging in the wake of the pandemic.

Formerly Thorpe Molloy Recruitment, TMM Recruitment was founded in 1997 by Jude Thorpe and Karen Molloy. Celebrating its silver anniversary later this year, the business has grown from a niche accountancy and finance agency to become a trusted adviser across 10 recruitment specialisms in a wide range of sectors.

Amanda said the post-pandemic world had created new opportunities for the recruitment industry.

"Recruiters are very much in demand right now, playing a key role in helping employers navigate business and hiring challenges. As employers struggle to identify the talent they need we provide trusted advice and consultation on hiring practice, candidate attraction, sources of talent, and leadership. This is driving significant fee growth, this year to date fees are almost double the same period in 2021.

Amanda McCulloch joined by the company's most recent recruits.

"We are experiencing a bounce back after the pandemic for professionals in accountancy and finance, HR, IT, supply chain, trades and marketing and communications in particular," she said, while candidate shortages continue to be a challenge across the country.

The growth plan includes bringing in graduates as well as exploiting valuable transferrable skills.

"Mirroring the national picture, there has been a steady increase in vacancies month on month, hitting a peak in May, while conversely there has been a sharp decline in the number of jobs filled by direct applicants as employers experience the constraints of candidate shortages and the challenges associated with candidate attraction.

"The decision to launch our executive search service during the pandemic is also bearing dividends as organisations seek support to ensure their leadership teams have the right combination of skills and strengths to leverage opportunities in renewables and bring new products and services through development."

Amanda said the growth plan includes bringing in graduates as well as exploiting valuable transferrable skills.

"We're pursuing the people approach that has served us so well over the years of bringing in graduates to train in the TMM Way, on the specific way we do things.

"We're also acutely aware of the value of transferrable skills so one of our hires during the pandemic was a boomerang employee who had worked with us 10 years before and we knew his skills and strengths. We've also hired an ex-police officer, as his particular skills were an ideal fit for both the recruitment industry and our team."

She added: "We are part of the solution to candidate shortages and we get to know the person behind the CV and don't just forward them on. That personalised approach, combined with the team's deep knowledge, expertise, market intelligence, and networks mean we are on course to continue to grow as we move into our next quarter-century."